As I prepare to
leave for New Zealand and then England (see Events page for details),
I wanted to get in one more update. This one is mostly about films that
I recommend, or that have been recommended to me by male survivors.
I welcome suggestions of other films that you have found useful.

First, a couple
of other matters.

*************************************************

For any of you who
live in the UK, I received the following communication from the Colchester
Rape Crisis Line. They are great folks and would appreciate
your help and input:

We're making a last
ditch attempt in Colchester to see if we can get some more responses
to our questionnaire for male survivors. So far we've had a very healthy
response from agencies that work with male survivors, but very few from
male survivors themselves. Although we did expect this to some extent,
the more responses we get, the more pressure we can put on the local
authorities to develop a service.

We have produced the attached poster which we hope you might be able
to publicise/distribute to try and reach as wide an audience as possible.
We'd be really grateful for any publicity you can give us, as the questionnaire
will be taken offline at the end of May.

Are you a male
survivor of sexual abuse, assault or rape?
If so check out the confidential questionnaire athttp://www.dabspathfinder.org%00/
We will be setting up a service in Essex based on your responses and
writing a report,
which will be useful for similar agencies.

***********************************************

VOICES in
Action is extending a special invitation to male survivors
to join the organization and to attend their 23rd annual conference
in Cincinnati, Ohio in July. I look forward to seeing you there.
For further information: http://www.voices-action.org/

***********************************************
Recommended Films:

This is a list of
films that are of interest to survivors and their allies. I have included
URLs that offer more information, and my own comments about them.
Some of these films are fiction and others are documentaries. Most have
content that many will find disturbing. Please think carefully about
whether it makes sense for you to watch them when you are alone –
or to view them at all. I invite you to let me know about other films
that you have found helpful.

“The
Boys of St. Vincent”
This powerful Canadian film is a fictionalized version of a true story:
the sexual and physical abuse of boys at the Mt. Cashiel orphanage in
Newfoundland run by the Irish order of Christian Brothers, and the collusion
of many institutions (political, educational, law enforcement, social
services, etc.) to keep the abuse secret. I am told by people who were
connected to these events that the film is quite faithful to the actual
events.http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/B/htmlB/boysofstv/boysofstv.htm

“Holy
Water-Gate: Abuse Cover-up in the Catholic Church”
Mary Healy-Conlon, a Rhode Island film maker has created an extraordinary
documentary about clergy abuse and massive institutional cover-up. http://www.filmakers.com/indivs/holywatergate.htm

“The
Magdalene Sisters”
An account of ongoing sexual and physical abuse of young women in Church
operated institutions in Ireland. If you view this on DVD, make sure
you watch the special features. They include interviews with some of
the women on whom the characters in the film are based.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0318411/

“Rabbit-Proof
Fence”
An amazing Australian film based on the true story of three young Aboriginal
girls who were taken from their mothers to be raised by European Australians.
These three were members of Australia’s “Stolen Generations”.
The film and special features explains more about the treatment of Aborigines.
The actors playing the three girls will touch your heart. Despite the
cruelties inflicted on Australia’s indigenous people, this film
is ultimately a tale of triumph of the human spirit.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252444/

“When
Helping Hurts: Sustaining Trauma Workers”
Every professional who works with any form of trauma should see this
film about stress, burn-out, compassion fatigue, and self care. It is
distributed by the organization Gift from Within.http://www.giftfromwithin.org/html/video4.html#rev4

“Antwone
Fisher”
Although oversimplified, this touching Hollywood film provides understanding
of the ongoing effects of abuse, the problems with secrecy, and the
possibility of healing. A number of male survivors have told me that
this film was important to their recovery.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0168786/